


Aboard the Statesman

by Marzipanda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-02 03:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15787824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marzipanda/pseuds/Marzipanda
Summary: During the five months between Ragnarok and Thanos's attack, the Aesir had time to lick their wounds and hope for a better future. This is a series of vignettes exploring how relationships could grow between the passengers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline of the Marvel movies is a bit hard to pin down, but for this fic I have assumed that the general rule that they take place around the same time as they do in our world to suppose they had five months between tragedies. I realize the after credits scene made it seem like it happened immediately after but I've elected to ignore it.
> 
> This can be read as a prequel to my Laying New Foundations series.

For a while, the people aboard the Statesman gave a wide berth to the Hulk. They were grateful for his assistance, of course, but he was large and green and intimidating and the majority of those who survived had never been off-planet and so never had seen anything quite like him. The stories of his gladiatorial days didn’t help much besides make them grateful that he was on their side.

Children were the first to approach him. They whispered amongst themselves and dared each other to breach the circle around him that no one save for the king and the valkyrie dared enter. Hulk was surprised by the brush of warm little hands against his ankle, and he turned to watch the child dart back into her circle of friends, victorious. He watched them for a moment before turning back to what he had been doing.

The children grew bolder. Hulk might grimace or growl at adults (particularly the prince) but he was never unkind to them. Eventually, Gunnhild, the brave girl that had been the first to tap his ankles, ventured to speak to him while a small group of those less bold and yet bold enough to approach cowered behind her back.

“Hello!” she called, waving her arms so he might look down.

The towering man squinted at her, but then nodded his acknowledgment. “Small.”

“I’m Gunnhild,” she said. “You’re Hulk?”

He nodded again.

She shifted, trying to think of something else to say. She hadn’t thought that far. “I heard you’re from Earth?” she ventured. “What’s it like?”

He took a moment to think about it. “Green,” he ventured. “Blue. Big.” He scratched his head. “Asgard small. Earth like,” he said as he stretched his arms wide. “Big.”

“So there’ll easily be room for us, then?”

Hulk shrugged. “Not many Asgard people. Seven buh....billion Earth people. Might fit. Could fit?”

“Seven  _ billion _ ?” she said, stunned.

“What’s a billion?” her younger brother whispered from behind her.

“More than a million!” She said, her voice filled with awe. “More by a lot!”

They ran off to tell their mother and cowardly friends, and the Hulk watched them for a moment before lumbering on.

Eventually, the children found that Hulk would tolerate them climbing him. The air filled with giggles as several of them clambered up his body, riding on his broad shoulders as he went about his business. It was great fun to watch the stunned faces of parents as he walked past. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but Gunnhild still chattered on at him from her perch next to his head as they roamed about the ship.

There came a point where he turned to her and smiled, and then, to her shock, he began to shrink. The other startled children jumped off and ran, but Gunnhild stayed nearby to watch. He roared and stumbled about, his skin turning from alien green to something more like an Asir, and finally, he was reduced to the size of a normal adult. A blinking, confused man in comically large pants was left behind, and if Gunnhild hadn’t seen the transformation herself she’d think him completely unremarkable.

“Hulk?” she asked timidly. “Is that you?”

“Uh,” he said. “Not really? I do remember you, though,” he reassured when she looked heartbroken. “My name is Bruce Banner.”

She still looked skeptical but nodded. “Come find me when the Hulk is back,” she said, before running off to find her friends.

Bruce was left in a crowd of people he didn’t know, mostly naked except for the stretched pants he was holding onto. Like this, it made him worry that Hulk might be back sooner than he wanted.

“Banner!” he heard from nearby, and at that moment he was enveloped in green light. When it faded he was wearing clothes again.

“Loki,” Bruce acknowledged, shifting uncomfortably. He did remember that at the moment they were technically allies, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. He waved a hand at himself. “Did you do this?”

“Yes,” Loki said, staring at a spot to his left. “But I would like to inform you that it’s only an illusion, and I can see through it.”

Bruce was very glad he hadn’t let go of the pants.

Turning away from him, Loki called to the crowd to ask if anyone had spare clothes and tell them to inform the king that Banner was back. He then beckoned Bruce to follow him into a side room.

Bruce entered cautiously, and Loki closed the door behind him. “If you’re going to try and kill me, it’s a bad idea,” he warned, settling himself down on a sofa.

“Oh please, as if I don’t already know that,” Loki rolled his eyes. “We’re waiting here for Thor. I just thought you’d like to get out of the crowd.”  
Looking anywhere but Loki’s face, Bruce admitted, “You weren’t wrong.”

“Mead?” Loki ventured for lack of anything else to say. “Ale? Wine?”

Bruce looked at him skeptically. “Why are you being nice to me?”

Loki sighed, lowering himself into a seat opposite. “I suppose you think any drink I fetch you would be poisoned.”

“Are you saying there’s a chance it wouldn’t be? Because I don’t think I’m ready to believe that.”

Loki tipped his head onto the back of his chair, sighing, and closed his eyes.

“You’re not gonna reply?”

“I couldn’t change your mind if I tried.”

A silence fell over the room.

“You haven’t answered my question.”

Loki hummed. “We didn’t know you’d be coming back, you know. Thor said you thought you wouldn’t.”

“Okay?” Banner said. “Well, I have.”

“Obviously,” Loki rolled his eyes. “But you didn’t think you would.”

“Well...no.”

“Did you have more control this time? More awareness?”

“Okay, hold on,” Bruce said, indicating the same with his hands. “Why are you asking me this? Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

Loki’s face twisted and he turned to stare at the wall. His fingers twined around each other tightly.

Bruce pushed himself further into the couch. “Um.”

“I...” Loki took a deep breath. “I am trying to thank you.”

Banner’s eyes grew incredibly wide. Loki twitched in his seat, his line of sight fixed somewhere over the other man’s shoulder.

“I get the feeling you don’t do this often.” It was easier to relax when Loki was so visibly uncomfortable.

“Not really, no.” The other man lost the battle to keep his gaze somewhere near Bruce’s face.

Silence descended upon them again.

Taking a deep breath, Loki steadied himself. “Thank you,” he said, his voice softer than Bruce had ever heard it. “You, ah...were willing to annihilate your very self to protect a people that weren’t yours. I can’t pretend to understand, but,” he swallowed and finally met Bruce’s eyes. “You have my thanks.”

“Did you practice that in a mirror?” Bruce asked before he thought better of it. 

Color rose in Loki’s cheeks, and it was hard to tell if he was angry or embarrassed. “It is...a valid strategy for saying difficult things.”

“Yeah,” Bruce said. “Anyway, I’d say you’re welcome, but I didn’t really do it for you.”

Suddenly Loki was smirking to himself, and Bruce had no idea what might have brought that on.

“I didn’t think you did. Still, you have my gratitude.”

“Uh. Well...” Bruce trailed off. He had no idea what to say to that. They sat in the quiet until Thor bounded in with a pile of clothes in his arms and a smile that lit up the room. Loki slipped out the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Bruce chat some more

“You’re still here,” Bruce heard Loki say from behind him. He fumbled with the glass he was holding. After an exhaustingly full day as himself, he had retired to the rooms Thor had said were his. He had been sitting quietly in the living area, trying to ignore the obvious signs that this place was also the Hulk’s, and if he was honest anyone was a welcome distraction.

He turned in his overlarge seat to face the prince. “Yes, I am,” he said, setting the water on the table.

“Gunnhild misses the beast.” Loki was leaning against the wall next to the door. Bruce hadn’t heard it open, and he wondered if Loki was actually there. “It must be vexing for you, to have another taking up residence in your body.”

Bruce gave him an uncomfortable little half smile. “Did you...did you just figure that out?”

“No, but I never cared before. I also didn’t know the Hulk was a person in his own right.”

“Is he, though?” Bruce asked. “I was here first. He came from me.”

“Then it must be doubly vexing that some people prefer him,” Loki said, striding across the room to the row of decanters and pouring himself a drink. He was actually there, then.

“Are you trying to make me angry? Is that what’s happening?”

“I think you have sufficient motivation to restrain yourself,” Loki answered, settling on the couch opposite. 

“Why exactly are you here?”

The man shrugged, giving him a small, insincere smile. “I’ve always found you fascinating. I might as well take the opportunity to actually speak with you. Are you not interested in me?”

“Nah, I think I already know everything I need to know about you.”

Loki looked amused at that. “Now you are the one who’s trying to make me mad.”

“Okay, well, this has been fun,” Bruce said as he rose. “But I’ve got to be literally anywhere else.” It was late, but Thor was probably still around even if he was incredibly drunk and jovial by now.

“Gunnhild is planning to stab you,” Loki called after him. “She seems to believe it will bring her large friend back.”

Bruce stopped. He turned back around to face him. “And where would she get that idea?” 

“Thor, actually,” Loki answered. The smile had left his face. If Bruce hadn’t known better, he’d say he looked sincere. “Though he didn’t intend to. He told her all about what happens when you get angry. I just overheard the plot.”

Bruce ran a hand down his face. “Alright, well, I’ll avoid murderous little girls I guess.”

“I think murderous is a bit much. She has no intentions of killing you.”

“But she intends to  _ stab _ me.”

“If you wish, I could accompany you. I believe I can scare her enough that she will not attempt it again.”

“Couldn’t you just talk to her?” He ran a hand through his hair and muttered, “Better yet, I’ll ask Thor to.”

“She has a bit of a habit of resisting authority,” Loki answered, eyes crinkling up at the corners.

“You seem to know a lot about this girl.”

“Well, I should. She’s one of Volstagg’s daughters.” At Bruce’s look of confusion, Loki added, “One of Thor’s companions. He accompanied us on many adventures.” He looked away, rolling his glass between his hands. “Hela killed him.”

Bruce was stunned. It took a moment for him to think to say, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Loki shot him a sour look and downed the rest of his drink.

“What?” Bruce asked.

“You obviously didn’t mean that,” Loki answered. “If you’re sorry for anyone, you’re sorry for his family and Thor.”

Bruce looked almost offended, but it faded quickly. “Believe whatever you want, I guess.”

“You hate me,” Loki said, gazing morosely into his glass. “As if you care about  _ my _ loss.”

“Well, you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself if that’s what you’re going to do. I can’t stop you.”

“Did you mean it, then?”

“Yeah,” Bruce said, folding his arms over his chest. “And the second I felt the tiniest bit of sympathy, you had to ruin it. Thanks for that, I guess, cause you’re right. I do hate you.”

Loki groaned, his head falling back against the couch. He heard Bruce walk to another part of the room. Eventually, when he looked up, he saw the man inspecting a haphazard collection of shields.

“Why aren’t you leaving?”

“There’s a little girl waiting to stab me outside.”

“Ah.” He let his head fall back again. “Ask for Hildegund. She’s her mother. She, at least, might be able to put some fear into the girl.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Not particularly. Why aren’t you?”

“I guess I wanted to see if you’d say anything else.”

The confusion was plain on Loki’s face.

“I’ve never really seen you as a _ person _ ,” Bruce explained. Loki prickled and stood to refill his glass while Bruce continued. “I mean, logically I knew you were, but you never acted like one until today.”

There was no adequate reply to that, so instead Loki took a long drink.

“It’s way easier to offend you than I’d thought,” Banner continued in a tone almost akin to awe. “And you have friends and real, recognizable emotions. Thor seems way less crazy to me, at the very least.” He paused for a second. “I mean, I can sort of see how he cares about you now.”

“Well, thank you for that,” Loki said darkly, sinking back into his seat. He slid his hands over his face.

“Are we just gonna keep doing this?” Bruce was wearing a slight smile. “Pissing each other off in cycles?”

Loki relaxed a bit. “Possibly.”

“It’s a better relationship than I’d ever expected us to have.”

Shifting to lean on the armrest, Loki dropped his hands. “I suppose that’s fair.” He glanced at the door. “Regarding Gunnhild...do you think you’d come back? If she did get you to change? You never answered me about how it was the last time.”

“Hopefully?” Bruce said after a pause. “I remembered what happened this time.”

“Does he remember what happens when you’re Bruce?”

He blinked. “Uh...I...I think so?”

“Is he listening to us?” Loki asked, curious again despite himself. “Can he hear us, right now?”

“Um,” Bruce said. His eyes unfocused as he concentrated on what was going on inside his head. His nervous fidgeting stopped, leaving him still in the middle of the room.

He was like that for too long.

Loki swallowed. “Bruce?”

When the man looked back at him, his eyes were green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loki is in for a bad time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hulk and Loki have a chat.

Loki didn’t wait to see if Bruce would continue transforming. He was between Loki and the door, but if Loki was fast enough he could run past while the beast was still disoriented. He launched himself from his seat, focusing only on reaching the exit.

His fingers brushed the doorknob just as he felt a large fist wrap around his leg. Hulk didn’t yank him back violently, but he still lost his balance and crashed to the floor. The green beast loomed over him, his expression terrifyingly unreadable.

“Hello, Hulk,” Loki managed to gasp out, his eyes blown wide.

The monster grunted in response. He dragged Loki back into the room, his cape fanning out behind him. Loki supposed it was a good sign that he hadn’t been hurt yet.

“Ah, excuse me, but would you mind letting me go?”

Hulk stopped, squinting at him. “Puny god is scared of Hulk.”

Loki’s breath caught in his throat. There was no point in denying it, really, even if he could have managed a reply. His fear was plainly obvious.

The Hulk turned to continue pulling along his captive. Loki tried to curl up and see where exactly he was heading. To his horror, he realized he was being taken towards the kitchens, further still into Hulk’s living space.

“We’re on the same side!” he yelled, scrabbling at the couch when he passed it and only managing to drag it behind them. “Don’t you remember? Let go of me!”

Hulk hoisted him further into the air, dangling the god in front of his face. He huffed at him, but then said, “Tiny man no run again. We talk.”

“Alright,” he squeaked. “Just - just put me down.”

Hulk nodded and let Loki drop to the floor. It took a second for him to right himself, and then he darted again for the exit. Hulk roared behind him.

He managed to reach the handle this time and turn it, flinging the door open, before the Hulk grabbed his cape and yanked him backward. He stumbled, which gave Hulk enough time to kick the door closed again.

“Hulk, please-”

“You promised no run!” Hulk yelled, and Loki was off again. He could barricade himself in the kitchen. Maybe he’d have enough time to send an illusion to Thor before Hulk broke the door down, and-

Hulk grabbed his cape again and pulled the other man towards him. Loki’s boots slid on the floor as he scrambled to rip the cape free of his armor. He summoned a knife and stabbed through the material, which was enough to let the force pull it apart.

He lurched towards the kitchen, but Hulk grabbed his upper arm almost immediately. He shook the god, making Loki’s teeth clack against each other.

“Stop running!” Hulk shouted at him, and Loki shrunk back in terror. He couldn’t stop looking at his arm wrapped in Hulk’s meaty green fist. He looked so damnably delicate in comparison.

Hulk looked back at his room and grunted in displeasure. “You move couch.“

Loki could stab him, but it would only make Hulk angrier. Even if he did let go, Hulk would inevitably catch him again, and the idea that all this manhandling could lead to a civil conversation was laughably naive.

Hulk stomped again towards the kitchen, towing Loki along with him. Loki struggled, pushing on Hulk’s hand in a vain attempt to pull his arm free. 

When they passed the threshold for the kitchen, he grabbed at the door frame to anchor himself. Hulk turned to him when he felt resistance, and the grimace he wore was enough to make his stomach drop.

The beast shook him in annoyance, growling. He kept tugging at Loki and shaking him around until his hand slipped and he could be pulled along again.

There was no escape.

There was nothing he could do except descend into raw animal panic.

When Hulk tossed him through a doorway Loki rolled across the floor and slammed into the opposite wall. By the time he righted himself, he looked up to see Hulk sat in front of the exit, staring at him. There were no other doors, only a large bed pushed to the side of the room.

Loki pressed himself back into the wall, holding as still as he possibly could while he was still breathing hard in fear. The Hulk didn’t move from his spot.

This was an opportunity. Quickly, Loki created a copy of himself behind the wall and sent it off to look for his brother. If he just held still, maybe he’d have enough time for Thor to come. No one else was a match for the monster in front of him.

“Tiny man,” Hulk grumbled, and Loki tried to make himself look smaller. Hulk snorted at him. “No more run?”

“No more running,” Loki confirmed, his voice shakier than he’d like.

“We talk.”

Loki could do nothing but nod. The copy of himself ran for Thor’s own bedchambers.

Hulk took a deep breath and shifted to find a more comfortable position. “You scared of Hulk.”

“Yes, alright, I am,” Loki near whispered. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Hulk grumbled at him. “No.” He reached up to scratch at his head. “Yes?”

“I don’t...I don’t understand.”

“Earth scared of Hulk too. Earth hates Hulk, but we go to Earth.” His eyes closed, brows furrowing as he thought hard. “You scared of Hulk. Hulk find how to make you  _ not _ scared, Hulk can go to Earth.”

“Wha... _ that’s _ what this is?” Loki asked, his sudden irritation making him bolder. “ _ Really _ ?”

“Tiny man less scared,” Hulk observed.

“If you had bothered to  _ explain _ ,” Loki began, but lost his voice when Hulk rose to his feet.

“You ran,” he said, his eyes focusing on where Loki cowered. “Tiny man still scared.”

“Are you going to hurt me?” Loki asked.

“ _ No _ ,” Hulk said emphatically. “Hulk only want talk.”

Loki let himself relax a little. His clone had finally reached Thor, but his brother was snoring in his bed. As the clone began to yell at him to  _ wake up _ , Loki tried to think of his next words to Hulk.

“If your goal is to  _ not _ scare people, you shouldn’t grab them and drag them away,” he said breathlessly.

“You ran.”

“Yes, but...” Loki ran a hand through his hair. “Last time we were alone together...”

“Hulk smash you.”

Loki winced, but it seemed Hulk was talking about the past. He still wished he could shake his brother awake and beg for him to come to his aid, but it didn’t seem like Thor would wake from his slumber any time soon. Reluctantly he gave up and dismissed his illusion.

“Hulk smash Harlem,” the large man sighed. “Hulk smash Jo-hand-burg. Earth scared.”

“Yes, Earth is.” He swallowed. “I think we could make an arrangement.”

Hulk cocked his head to the side and waited for Loki to continue.

“First of all, do not grab me again,” Loki said. “If your goal is to stop me from fearing you-”

“Hulk can’t grab cities,” the man interrupted.

Loki took a deep breath. “No. However, grabbing people is  _ aggressive _ . That scares people.”

“You run before that,” Hulk said, frowning.

“I did,” Loki said, nervously licking his lips. “I...I am afraid of you, and I knew you were coming.”

Hulk growled in frustration, and Loki froze again. It took a few moments for Hulk to calm down.

“There are ways you can show Earth has nothing to fear from you,” Loki offered. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was lying. “I can help you. We can talk, but I need you to let me go now.”

Hulk bared his teeth in response.

“I know, I know!” Loki held up his hands in surrender. “You want to talk now. I know. But you’re scaring me, and that won’t help you.”

Loki took it as a good sign that Hulk’s face relaxed marginally.

“We’ll meet tomorrow. I’ll bring Thor, and we’ll talk about how to make Earth like you. Okay?” He forced a smile onto his face.

Hulk stared at him for a few moments more. Loki was about to start begging again when he stepped out of the way and flung open the door.

“Tomorrow,” Hulk said, and Loki nodded.

He could scarcely believe that had worked. Hulk made no move to stop him, and so Loki slowly walked out of Hulk’s apartment. He took care not to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't exactly have much of a solid plan for this series. It used to be a collection of vignettes, but I'm happy with fleshing it out more! Thanks for reading.
> 
> You can find me at marzipandandy on tumblr!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One should not challenge Valkyrie to a drinking contest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter, but it just felt natural to end it there.
> 
> Just so everyone's aware, I'm writing Thor and Loki's relationship as strictly platonic.

“Thor, wake up!” Loki roared, bursting into his brother’s room. His heart was still beating at a rabbit’s pace. As soon as he was well and truly out of the Hulk’s earshot he had bolted, running straight to his brother’s bedchambers.

Thor didn’t even have the decency to stir. He was dead to the world, flat on his back with the covers only half over him, and he was snoring. Loki yanked the rest of the blanket off him and his brother made a small sound, shifting a little but then lying still.

“ _ Thor _ !” Loki grabbed his arm and shook him. Thor moaned, rolling over onto his stomach and settling down again with a contented sigh.

“Unbelievable.” He tightened his grip on his brother’s arm, but instead of shaking him he yanked him off the bed.

Thor yelped when he hit the ground, which gave Loki no small amount of satisfaction. He struggled into a sitting position, squinting his blurry eyes at the man above him. “Loki?” he mumbled. He cast his eyes around again, taking in his situation, before sending another confused look to his brother.

“Serves you right, you big daft bastard.”

Thor began to rise, pulling himself up unsteadily. Loki offered a hand to get him back onto his bed, where Thor flopped onto his back.

“Don’t you dare fall asleep again,” Loki warned. “I need to talk to you.”

Thor mumbled something incoherent.

“How much did you even  _ drink _ ?” Loki sighed. “You didn’t actually challenge Valkyrie, did you?”

“I did, brother,” Thor answered with a grin, slurring his words slightly. He propped himself up on his elbow to face Loki. “What ails you?”

Loki sighed, sitting on the bed next to Thor. His brother shifted, ceding the edge of the bed to him.

Loki rubbed at his face, not quite sure what to say now that he had Thor’s attention. He had to speak fast, though, or Thor would drop back off into sleep.

“The Hulk is back,” Loki announced with a grimace.

“So soon?” Thor yawned, but then his brows drew together as he seemed to realize something. “What happened?”

Loki’s lips pressed together. Thor pushed himself upright, trying to catch his brother’s eye. He grabbed his arm, but Loki shrugged him off.

“I tried to wake you earlier,” Loki all but growled.

“Loki?”  
Loki rose, striding swiftly for the door. Now it came down to it, he found he didn’t want to share the details of what had happened. He’d just avoid Hulk until he forgot or turned back into Bruce, and then he’d avoid that man as well. He didn’t need Thor for that.

His brother tumbled out of bed, stumbling after him and managing to catch him right before the door. Loki tried to shrug him off again, but this time he wouldn’t let go.

“Loki,” he tried again. His voice sounded clearer. When Loki didn’t reply, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Loki swallowed, ducking his head down. He absolutely was not, and he hated admitting it. Just remaining silent was confirmation enough.

“Your cape’s ripped,” Thor murmured, reaching out to touch the ragged edges.

“What an astute observation.”

Thor’s brows drew together, his voice serious and demanding an answer. “Did he hurt you?” He spun his younger brother around, looking for injuries.

Loki tried to bat him away. “Thor! I’m fine. I just...” His face twisted as he tried to think of a way to explain.

“You can stay here,” Thor said, and Loki looked up again in surprise. “I mean, I’d like it if you stayed! We haven’t slept in the same room for ages. It’s a tragedy, we’ve been growing apart.”

Loki knew why Thor was offering. He had seen Loki was scared. He had done it when they were children, too, if Loki had been frightened by something. As they got older he had begun to tease Loki for wanting that comfort, and that made Loki want to refuse him on principle, but as he looked into Thor’s eyes he saw his brother was genuinely concerned. He sighed, letting some of the tension drain from his body, and nodded.

Thor beamed at him, but then his face was split by another huge yawn that he tried to cover with his hand. “Mmkay,” he mumbled, tugging Loki back to his bed. “C’mon.”

Loki let himself be dragged. He supposed it was lucky that Thor was given a large bed even though he was sleeping alone. It was one of the benefits of being king.

“I need to tell you what happened,” Loki said as he settled down next to Thor. “But later.”

“Was it bad?”

Loki sighed, grabbing the blanket and drawing it over the both of them. “I was alone,” he muttered, curling further into the bed. He was still wearing his clothing, but he didn’t feel like leaving to change. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, he was half afraid Hulk would decide that he didn’t want to wait and hunt him down again. Better to stay near his brother, for now.

“You’re not alone now,” Thor said, swinging an arm over him. He was on his stomach, his face half pressed into his pillow. A few moments later his breathing turned soft and gentle as he slipped back into sleep.

Loki thought Thor was an idiot for being so relaxed around him already. His neck was wide open; if Loki had wanted, he could murder the king of Asgard right here in his bed. If he was still Asgard’s enemy, Thor would be dead.

It hadn’t been that long since the last time Loki had tried to betray him, but somehow he had proven himself worthy of Thor’s trust again. He was loathe to break it; he knew it wouldn’t come back easily if he did. Still, he couldn’t help but think that again he had one of the most powerful beings in all the nine realms completely unguarded next to him. It was a strange feeling.

As he lay there, though, he could hear Thor’s gentle breathing. Thor could die, yes, but right now he was alive and warm and solid next to him. He wasn’t going anywhere yet. It only took a little while more before Loki followed his brother into sleep.


End file.
